He Ain't Worth Missing
by DoomedRomance
Summary: Song fic featuring the song by the same name. It just wouldn't let me go. Babe fic. Rating is for a couple of bad words.


Disclaimer- None of this belongs to me. I write just for fun and make no profit from this. Stephanie Plum, Ranger, and Joe Morelli all belong to Janet Evanovich.

This is my first Stephanie Plum story and the first story I've written in quite a while.

This is a song fic (as if you couldn't tell by the title) using the the song "He Ain't Worth Missing" by Toby Keith.

StephRangerStephRangerStephRanger

Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum was grumbling to herself as she let herself through the door of Joe Morelli's house. She had arrived home to find a note telling her "Bob misses you."

That's Joe speak for "I'm horny. Come on over."

Stephanie was tired and hungry and almost didn't take the invitation. Things were going well with them. She'd just been over there last night. As usual, the sex had been great and they hadn't had a fight in almost three weeks. Of course, she hadn't had a crazy, psycho stalker in that long either.

Marriage had come in the conversation last night and although she still ran at the thought, it didn't inspire the terror it usually did. So, she was pretty pleased with herself and the way her life was headed.

The ground floor of the house was dark. Stephanie thought that was a little unusual. Most of the time they had pizza and beer before the festivities began. She almost faltered at the thought of no food, but decided she could get a snack later.

She made her way upstairs, expecting to see Joe lounging in bed with absolutely nothing on but a smile. Occasionally, he tried to surprise her by doing something like that.

As she got closer to the bedroom, Stephanie stopped. She heard something coming from behind the bedroom door. It sounded like... She gasped. It sounded like someone having sex.

She felt the fury start, the abruptly, she stifled a laugh. Joe was watching porn! He was really feeling frisky tonight, she thought.

She walked to the door and threw it open. What she saw stopped her in her tracks. He was feeling frisky, that's for sure, was her first thought. The only problem, he wasn't feeling frisky with her.

Joe looked up from his position behind Terri Gilman, where he had been riding her doggy style, with wide eyes. She hadn't yet noticed the new person in the room.

"Joe." she moaned. "Don't stop!"

But, Joe was stopped. He moved from the bed and took a step toward toward Stephanie.

_He's flyin' high tonight_

_He's got a brand new lover_

"Cupcake," he began. "I can explain."

Stephanie was way past explanations. She was in full rhino mode.

Joe stepped closer to try and block her view of Terri.

Stephanie didn't remember moving, but suddenly Joe's head snapped back, and she heard him mutter a curse.

She looked down at her hand when she felt the throb.

Oh, my God! She had hit Joe!

Good. Was the next thought. It was a lot less than he deserved.

Joe started to move forward again but Steph held up a hand to halt his progress.

"There is no explanation for this, Joe." she said. "We're done."

Then, she turned to leave and Joe grabbed her left arm.

"Wait." He said.

Again, she didn't remember moving, but suddenly she was facing Joe and blood was pouring from his nose and her hand was really starting to hurt. She looked down and could see a bruise starting to form on her knuckles.

Suddenly, the shock evaporated and the fury took it's place.

"Don't touch me!" she screamed. "You don't get to touch me ever again!"

She bolted for the door and this time Joe didn't try and stop her.

She made it to her car before the tears started. Determined that Joe not see the hurt he had caused, she started her car and sped away, barely able to see the road through the tears in

her eyes

She was so distraught, she failed to see the familiar, black SUV parked three houses away from Joe's.

As soon as she pulled away from the curb, the black SUV followed. The passenger in the vehicle pulled a cell phone from his vest and placed a call.

"It's done." Said the big man, then his disconnected.

No words were spoken by either occupant as they followed Steph's mini.

Stephanie drove aimlessly for about an hour, until she started to calm down.

When she began to take stock of where she was, she found she was only two blocks from the Haywood Building.

Not wanting to go home, sure Joe would try and see her, she decided the best place to go would be to Ranger.

She was still an official Rangeman employee, although she only worked part-time, mostly on distractions. She had every right to be in the building. She would go hide in her old cubby and maybe help the new guy with a few searches. Lord knew Rodriguez always had someone he wanted a search on.

Ranger sat in the control room watching the GPS on Stephanie's vehicle as it moved closer and closer to the building.

_Here you come a runnin'_

_You're looking for some cover_

When Steph's car pulled in the underground parking lot, Ranger left his spot in the control room and went to his office.

Steph was glad there was only Hal in the control room when she arrived. She didn't think she could deal with Ranger at the moment. She felt stupid and used and still pissed off.

She gave Hal a short greeting, trying to hide her pain. She knew it was useless. Her eyes were red and swollen and nose was running. She knew she looked like a wreck. She just hoped Hal wouldn't push it.

"Hey, Bombshell." He said. "Everything all right?"

She waved a hand in the air. "Just great!" she lied with a smile. "Just thought I'd stop by and give Billy a hand with a search or two."

Hal knew better, but he was under orders, and he let it go.

Steph took refuge in her cubby and tried to get some work done. She started a search and was thumbing through the file when she just lost it.

The tears started to flow again, and she was helpless to stop it.

She didn't know how long she had been crying when the hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she knew Ranger was close by.

"Babe"

Steph turned and looked at Ranger as he stood at the entrance of the cubby.

"I don't want to talk about it." She said, knowing he wouldn't let it go. To her surprise, he didn't push it. He just watched her as she tried to calm down.

_I know you're sad and lonely_

_I know you're feelin' blue_

_You miss him so much_

_Won't let me get too close to you_

When she was mostly composed again, he spoke.

"Come on." Ranger said. "Let's get you upstairs."

"To your apartment?" Stephanie asked.

"I'll take the couch." came the reply. Other words were on the tip of his tongue. He wanted to tell her this wasn't the first time. He wanted to tell her Morelli was scum and had been stepping out on her for a while. But, she didn't need to hear that right now.

_Oh, he ain't worth missing_

_Oh, we should be kissing_

_Stop all this foolish wishin'_

_Oh, he ain't worth missing_

Ranger led her up to the seventh floor apartment and seated her on the couch. He moved to the kitchen and began to make coffee. He heard movement and saw her standing there watching him.

"It was you, wasn't it?" she said, and it wasn't really a question.

For about a second, he considered lying to her, but he knew he couldn't. He had never lied to her before, and he wouldn't start now.

"I thought you should know." was his only reply.

"How long?" she asked.

"Doesn't matter."

Suddenly, Steph was angry again. "The hell it doesn't! I deserve to know! How long?"

Knowing she wasn't going to let this go he replied. "A while."

"Was it just Terri?"

"No."

She didn' seem to have anything else to say. She just stood there looking shell shocked.

_I know your head is turnin'_

_I know your heart is burnin'_

_Girl, you've gotta listen_

_Don't you know he ain't worth missing_

He handed her a finished cup of coffee and she automatically took it. She sat down in the kitchen an stared at the table without speaking.

Ranger was at a loss. He didn't know what to do or say to make her feel better. He was sure she didn't need to hear what he wanted to say.

She finished her coffee and he led her into the bedroom. She wanted to take a shower, so he gave her a pair of running shorts and one of his tee-shirts and sent her off to the bathroom.

When she came out she was looking a little better and he got her settled in the bed and covered her with the comforter.

She fell asleep almost immediately. Ranger sat in the chair in the corner and just watched her.

_You know I'm here to save you_

_But, you ain't through cryin' yet_

_Look at you pretty face_

_All red and soakin' wet_

His rage at Morelli grew as the night wore on. Steph did not have a peaceful sleep. She tossed and turned and cried in her sleep. He crawled into bed beside her and pulled her into his arms. She settled down some but was still restless. The urge to kill Morelli almost overcame him more than once.

Sometime in the night, a decision was made. He had tried to do the right thing, what he thought was best. He had sent her back to Morelli, thinking it was best for her. His life was crazy, dangerous and he didn't want to drag her into it. A relationship wouldn't be easy on her, but he wasn't going to stand by and maybe have Morelli talk his way into her bed again.

_I'm gonna try and make him_

_Just a memory_

_Come on baby, let's get started_

_The first thing you've got to see_

Steph awoke the next morning, alone, to the smell of Ranger. She snuggled into the comforter again and started to drift off again.

Ranger came into the room and ripped the comforter off the bed.

Steph shrieked and looked around with wild eyes.

"Time to get up." Ranger announced.

Steph plopped back down on the bed and tried to burrow into the mattress. "I don't wanna." she whined.

"Babe."

"I'm not running." Steph mumbled into the pillow.

"Ella just brought breakfast." Ranger replied.

There was nothing he could have said that would have gotten her out of bed any faster.

She jumped out of bed and headed for the kitchen.

Under special instructions from Ranger, Ella had gone all out. She had bacon and eggs, along with bagels and cream cheese.

Stephanie sat down and filled her plate to near overflowing.

"Babe." Ranger said as he saw her plate.

"It's comfort food." She defended. "I'm upset and when I'm upset, I eat."

Ranger knew that from experience, but still. "That stuff will kill you."

They ate breakfast in silence. Stephanie was still thinking about Joe and Ranger was planning what he would have to do to convince her to stay with him.

Suddenly, Stephanie broke the silence. "Thank you." she said.

"You're welcome, Babe."

Stephanie reached out and laid her hand on his forearm.

That's when he saw the bruises on her knuckles.

He picked up her hand and examined the bruise. She had hit something very, very hard. He looked up to see Stephanie's face was a little bit pink.

"It wasn't my fault." she began.

"Babe." he said, fighting a smile. He knew exactly what she hit.

"I don't remember doing it. One minute I was standing there and the next Joe's nose was bleeding and my hand was hurting."

_Oh, he ain't worth missing_

_Oh, we should be kissing_

_Stop all this foolish wishin'_

_Oh, he ain't worth missing_

_I know your head is turnin'_

_I know your heart is hurtin'_

_Girl, you've gotta listen_

_Don't you know he ain't worth missing_

"You deserve better." Ranger said and immediately knew it was the wrong thing to say. He watched her eyes fill with tears again and she tried to stop them.

"What's wrong with me?" She asked.

"Nothing's wrong with you, babe." Ranger said. "They're wrong, not you."

"Nobody wants me." she said through the tears. "First, my boyfriend from college, then my ex, and now Joe."

Ranger was silent, not knowing what to say.

Suddenly, Stephanie sat up straight in her chair and turned horrified eyes toward Ranger.

"Oh, my God!" she exclaimed. "I'm bad in bed, aren't I?"

Ranger cocked an eyebrow at that. How in the hell does she come up with these things?

"No, babe. You're not bad in bed."

"Then, why?" she exclaimed. "Why do all the men in my life cheat on me?"

"You've just chosen the wrong men."

"Maybe... maybe I'm just not loveable. Some women are like that right? There's just something about them that makes them unloveable. Or maybe, maybe, they think I'm easy and they just want the sex!"

Ranger cut her off before she could continue. "Babe. There's nothing wrong with you and you are very loveable."

Stephanie took a moment to consider her response to that statement. What the hell? she thought. It's not like her life could get any more fucked up.

"What about you?" She asked. "You say you love me, but in your own way and you don't want a relationship with me."

_If you need someone to hold you_

_Someone to ease your pain_

_Well, I'll be holdin' steady_

_Girl, when you get ready_

"Maybe I've been reconsidering that." came the reply.

Steph's mouth dropped open and Ranger couldn't help the twitch that overcame his mouth. It wasn't very often she was speechless.

Before she could speak, he held up a hand.

"I'm not talking about right now." he said and watched her face fall. He hurried on. "I'm not going to rush you or push you into something you're not ready for." he explained. "You've just had a bad shock and I won't be a rebound."

_I'm gonna show you, love is a good thing_

_Yeah, love is a good thing_

Stephanie considered that for a moment.

"So, you're saying, when I'm ready, you want to have a relationship with me?"

Ranger nodded.

"How will you know when I'm ready?" she asked.

"You'll know." Ranger replied. "Then, you'll let me know."

"I don't know how long that will take." Stephanie warned.

"Doesn't matter." Ranger replied.

_Oh, he ain't worth missing_

_Oh, we should be kissing_

_Stop all this foolish wishin'_

_Oh, he ain't worth missing_

Later that day, Ranger paid a visit to the Trenton police station.

He didn't bother to knock on the door of Morelli's office, just walked right in

Morelli scowled when he walked in. "What do you want?" he demanded.

"I want you to leave Stephanie alone."

Joe jumped to his feet. "I knew it! When she wasn't at her apartment, I knew she was with you!"

Ranger wasn't going to get into this with him. It wasn't his business and he had absolutely no right to make judgements on anybody.

"Leave her alone." Ranger said. "She doesn't want to have anything else to do with you."

"She should be telling me this herself." Joe demanded.

Ranger smirked. "She already did." he commented and gestured to Joe's swollen nose

Joe's hand came up automatically to rub the offended area.

"I'm just making sure the message got through." Ranger said. "Things could get ugly if it didn't."

Joe knew Ranger didn't make idle threats. He knew he had fucked up and now the price was losing Stephanie, to Ranger no less.

"Take care of her." Joe said.

Ranger nodded and left.


End file.
